The Ministry of Women Affairs on Friday said that it has begun discussions with the leadership of the Senate to reconsider its stands on the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan who recently raised allegations of sexual harassment against the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, aside from being accused of violating the rules of the parliament.
Minister of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Hajia Imaan Suleiman while briefing State House Correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, pleaded with the Senate to soften its decision of the suspension.
“It’s an unfortunate incident that should not happen. In the last Assembly, we had nine senators, that were women. In this Assembly, we have four. We don’t want to lose any member in the Senate or House of Assembly. We want to increase the numbers. It is unfortunate, we’re going to be brokering peace.
“We will engage all the stakeholders to ensure that they temper justice with mercy,” the Minister said.
She continues “I was at the National Assembly yesterday at the Senate, where they marked International Women’s Day, and the last thing the President of the Senate said was that “we’re open to broker peace.
“So, we’re going to be intermediary between the two parties to see that we broker for peace to reign and we will continue to also sensitize so that we will like to work better together as women and men.”
The Women Affairs Minister also emphasized the need to sensitize women in politics, encouraging greater collaboration with their male counterparts, and explained that Nigeria must accelerate efforts to increase women’s representation in governance and ensure they have a seat at the table.
While expressing concern over the dwindling female representation in the legislature, the Minister said “It is not a good thing to lose more women in the National Assembly at a time when we are already grossly underrepresented,” she said.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, who had accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment, was sanctioned by the upper chamber, reducing the number of female senators to just three out of 109 members.
NewsQuest recalls that Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu had earlier on Thursday noted that the National Assembly remains a “matured” institution that must be treated with respect.
The First Lady had also dismissed concerns over the Senate’s handling of issues, insisting the lawmakers are “doing what is needful.”
